As fierce of a competitor as Shaker’s Frankie Dyer is in a pool, he is equally statesmanlike outside of the pool.
After cruising to the 500-yard freestyle title at Saturday’s Section II, Division I (large school) Swimming and Diving Championships, Dyer shook the hands of his competitors as they received their awards before accepting his championship patch.
I think it’s courteous, said Dyer. `If I wasn’t first, I would want the same from the guy who won.`
Those handshakes were the closest any swimmer got to Dyer the entire day. The senior won the 200 freestyle by more than five seconds over his nearest competition (Ballston Spa’s Michael Barno) and took first place in the 500 freestyle by more than 18 seconds.
`I swam my best (in Friday’s preliminary rounds), and I just wanted to see how fast I could go today,` said Dyer.
Dyer certainly went fast in Saturday’s finals. He finished with a time of 1:39.94 in the 200 freestyle and recorded a time of 4:34.70 in the 500 freestyle finals ` three seconds off the Section II mark he set earlier this season.
`A lot of people say I do better when I’m alone (in front), but I’m just trying to swim my own race. I can’t swim anyone else’s race,` said Dyer.
Dyer’s performances in the 200 and 500 freestyles highlighted a strong team effort for Shaker. The Blue Bison placed fourth with 233 points.
David Rowley, Josh Koppel, Chris Clemens and Steve Maxwell will join Dyer at the state championships March 6 and 7 on Long Island. Rowley qualified in two individual events, while Maxwell, Koppel and Clemens earned berths in one event apiece.
Maxwell had the top individual performance for Shaker outside of Dyer’s accomplishments. Maxwell finished second in the 100 backstroke with a time of 55.70 seconds, .27 of a second behind Saratoga’s Kevin Murphy. Rowley placed third in the 50 freestyle with a state meet-qualifying time of 22.24 seconds and finished fourth in the 100 freestyle with a time of 48.98 seconds.
Koppel and Clemens qualified for states at last Thursday’s diving competition. Koppel placed fourth with a score of 413.10 points, and Clemens finished sixth with a score of 396.85.“